Awesome! Great! Fantastic! Must go! Came here on a weekend trip to Philadelphia, and loved it! Definitely coming back on my next visit. Coming from an Italian family of great cooks, I'm generally very picky when it comes to Italian food, but La Viola is fantastic, everything was just so fresh and flavorful! Also the service was superb! Not knowing the restaurant was BYOB, the waiter had the kitchen hold our order while I ran to a near by wine shop. Do not pass this place up! read more

La Viola - The gnocchi - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Very nice ristorante. Food great!!! Portion just perfect size.A little bit small room,but it's perfect clone of European ristorante and life 5 stars!!! read more

La Viola - Filet mignon - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

BYOB, prix fixe $30 menu. Caprese salad was just ok, chicken marsala was just alright. Fairly big portions. Cash only. Big back room was good for our large group read more

I came here with a large group last night. It was great that they had a pre-fixed two or three course menu. We chose the two-course which was $25 before tax and tip. The waitstaff was skilled and on top of things through the meal. I had the arugula goat cheese salad and the chicken marsala. The food was good, but nothing was amazing or particularly stood out. It was BYOB which was super convenient and keeps the cost down. The dining space was plain and a little stuffy. read more

La Viola - Arugula Goat Cheese Salad - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Came in here Saturday night for dinner. The place is small but I'd called ahead to reserve. The wait staff was very attentive. The food was amazing. I had the risotto. I'd never had a risotto with a red sauce in it but I loved it. My companion had a seafood pasta which was the special that night. I believe it had a vodka sauce. It was really good too. I'd definitely eat here again when I'm back in town. It's also byob which was pretty cool. read more

La Viola - Risotto - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

See all

I am always trying different Italian restaurants so we decided to try this for restaurant week. First of all it's cash only and no where does it tell you that. Second the wait staff was a bit rude. Next I order chicken pomodora which I typically order at other Italian restaurants and I understand everyone put there own spin on it..... but this was literally a piece of chicken parm they served with 2 ring potatoes and 2 pieces of zucchini. This place is 100% not worth the money. Overall so many better Italian places with a better vibe, nicer staff, better food that are worth the money. Not here. read more

This review is for their Restaurant Week lunch - came here with 6 coworkers and 5 bottles of wine. We had a GREAT lunch and appreciated La Viola's extensive entree choices (pastas, veal, chicken and 2 fish dishes) and full portion sizes. I chose the grilled calamari appetizer (nicely charred and topped with a flavorful chopped tomato, onion garlic, but a bit on the rubbery side) and seafood risotto entree, filled with clams, mussels, pieces of perfect salmon and cooked in an excellent white wine tomato broth - SO good. Dessert was a big square of lovely, homemade tasting tiramisu. We were all pleasantly stuffed and happy. At $20 pp and byob, this is one of the tastiest and best value RW lunches I've been to. read more

The food was amazing and the service was impeccable. They were able to seat us in the outside tent quickly even tho our reservation was last minute. I will definitely be back read more

I won't lie, I used Google Maps to find this place as we walked around the city looking for Italian food in the area we were in. I was pleasantly surprised at this place. I started off with the soup special and I was so so happy that I tried it. It was a red pepper soup that was divine. It was so full of flavor, when I got to the bottom of the bowl I was so sad. I wanted more so much more! I probably could have eaten just that for my dinner and i would be happy. He ordered the Cesar salad- tasty, but croutons are not real croutons. I ordered the lobster ravioli from the recommendation of the waiter, he mentioned it was a favorite. He ordered the gnocchi, we've been craving it since we were in Chicago. Dinner was very good overall. The sauce on the lobster ravioli was decadent, I enjoyed the ravioli but the stuffing was okay, the sauce was my favorite part. The service was subpar. Our waters were constantly filled, which was great, but the waiter never really checked on how dinner tasted for us. It took a while for us to get the check, a little awkward but it was overall tasty. The atmosphere was calm and the decor was nice. The food tasted good so four stars was deserved. It's not a place I would go back to right away but would recommend trying it. It is BYOB so bring a nice bottle of wine with you! read more

Mamma Mia this is an incredible staff. Kind of a cramped location, it was a bit hard finding room to even take off my jacket. This is also a cash only BYOB restaurant. However if you do bring any wine, they will serve it to you as you eat. The menu is authentic Italian with a full Italian speaking crew. They are all excellent servers with the greatest manners. We really felt top class dining here. The olive oil /vinigrette and table bread was excellent. The bread was always toasty and oven warm. Prices were certainly modest, pasta dishes being around 15-20 dollars and the most expensive dishes about 22. The salad special that day was truly exquisite we ordered one right after finishing the first. Light olive oil based dressing, hearty helpings of fresh, not watery mozzarella and diced, crisp tomatoes. Also the thickest cut prosciutto I've ever seen! The dessert selection is really impressive. Definitely listen to the list no matter how full you are. I enjoy coffee with my sweets and so we got a piece of their fresh homemade tiramisu! It was really nice. However, the coffee had almost no taste to it. It seemed very watered down and was hardly distinguishable from hot water. Cramped location, very weak coffee, only accepting cash, and BYOB are my only criticisms. Otherwise this place is perfection. I highly highly recommend this restaurant if you're ever feeling Italian in philidelphia. read more

Nice, casual Italian fare. Went here before the second half of the WS game that the Phillies clinched. Service was a little weird - they were very "hands-off" waitstaff, not pushy with fabulous Italian? accents. Started off with the spinach gnocchi - a little heavy for my taste. I am not a fan of spinach but that wasn't the issue - it was too thick. For entree: Vitello alla Viola - very nice. Good flavors and generous portion - the sauce was great. We were in a hurry to get to McFadden's to watch the game so didn't partake in dessert. read more

It's been years since I'd been to La Viola, but found my way back here for a friend's bday a few weekends ago. We had a party of 16 and our group took over the entire alley to the left of the restaurant. To be honest, I didn't even remember there being outdoor seating. Aside from the fact that we were eating dinner in an alley, it was a pretty good setup and gave us our own space. Happy to report that the octopus and lobster ravioli are still really good! Although I've always enjoyed my meals here, I only think to come when I'm looking for a byob that can accommodate a big group and it prob wouldn't be my first choice for dinner on a normal night. That being said, I'm keeping my review at 3 stars for now. read more

La Viola - Lobster ravioli - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Good food, Nice service, Decent price and BYOB What could you ask more? I highly recommend the -- I highly recommend Mussels in white wine sauce and Tagliatelle Salmone. Other menu are just average. Their Risotto was so bland. This is not the best Italian in town. But given its decent price + BYOB, this is one of my favorite place. read more

See all

This BYOB has good food. I've had the pastas there, and all of them have been up to par. I've never had any of the meat courses, so I could not comment on those. The food is 3.5 stars. The inside is like a normal Italian restaurant (nothing cutesy like chandeliers or beautiful crown moldings some quaint BYOBs have). Service is pretty efficient (aka you can sometimes feel a little rushed). With these two factors, to me, I would say La Viola is not as "romantic" as other BYOBs. Positives: The place is a larger BYOB so you can definitely have a large group party in the back area. Decent food, inexpensive, and with the BYOB factor, a good dining deal. read more

I wasn't sure if I was at a restaurant or a NASCAR race. The servers operated with the speed and precision of a pit crew trying to keep the food flying and the tables cleared. There was nothing Italian about the decor or the waiters. My review is for the basement section of this restaurant that is setup for large groups and charges a set price per person. I had read that La Viola was a option for price conscious BYOB diners looking for Italian in the city. A few reviews also advised that it was extremely loud and it was exactly that. The menu is a slimmed down version of the main menu and has a few appetizers and main courses that you can choose from. I had a Caesar Salad and Vodka Penna for my main course. The salad was good and I thought it was a good sized portion. The pasta was ok. The sauce was a bit watery and the Prosciutto was fatty, over cooked and a bit too salty. This pasta dish is one of my favorites and I didn't think they did a great job with it. I had heard that the cost per person was going to be around $25. This was, in my opinion still more than the meal was worth but definitely not high for city standards. We paid $38 per person. I'm not sure where that figure came from but it was certainly highway robbery for the quality and quantity we were served. I had fun because I was with good friends and downed a few Victory DirtWolf's but I wouldn't return to La Viola unless it was for another birthday party. read more

My roommate and I needed to grab a bite before the Philly rock 'n roll half marathon. Every athlete knows you gotta carbo load! In a dire search on yelp, la viola met our needs.... somewhere close to where we were staying with great, and affordable Italian. When we finally made our way to La Viola, I started to get nervous. Hangry-ness mixed with pre race jitters is an awful combination. Luckily for us, the wait for 2 people was no more than 5 minutes.... The only stipulation was, "Would you mind being squished between two tables?" For a faster entree, I'll say yes to anything and everything. What does it feel like to be squished between two tables? For one, you better hope your dinner companion and you can read each others minds, or eyebrows expression. There is so much you want to say when eavesdropping on someone's else dinner.... But there is only so little you can say when you're close enough to caress their hand when they speak of a recent tragedy. That being said, we took our mental notes and jabbered the rest of the night. I wonder if those two lucky kids are still dating. They seemed to get along, and the the girl wasn't shy about doggy bagging the left overs he paid for! The other couple to my left had it all worked out and plenty of self control! I had a hard time stopping myself from not eating their left over tiramisu. (After a dinner like that, I felt like I knew them well enough to eat from the same plate!) Luckily Morgan and my entrees came out quickly enough and we were able to scarf down our pasta dishes. I can't attest to whether la Viola gave me the extra oomph in making it to the finish line, but it definitely didn't hurt! read more

We had our son and daughter in law's rehearsal dinner here. Lower level room. The staff set up the alcohol we dropped off and the food was delicious! Absolutely outstanding service. read more

First time here yesterday 09/22/16 and I have to say it was amazing. It's small and cozy very old fashioned. The staff and owner (I assume) were all pleasant and welcoming. There were three of us, between us we tried the the mushroom app, two salads, the salmon, the gnocchi, shrimp & bow tie pasta, cheesecake, chocolate cake, and tiramisu. EVERYTHING was delicious!!! read more

See all

Great food in a very authentic Italian restaurant. The veal rotalini was quite good as everyone's pasta and seafood dishes. BYOB to boot!

Horribly unsatisfied with the food and the service. I am amazed this place was crowded when we showed up. The food was absolutely horrific. To call it Italian food is a true crime. I don't even know what to say, other than.... please don't go here. It's a waste of time. read more

Awesome location, minutes from PATCO. Great service! BYOB. Prices are reasonable. However the food was that great. Dessert was great. read more

Came here for restaurant week after living here a few months and passing it almost every day (i live a block away). i was hoping to really love this place since it's steps from my apartment but overall the experience was very underwhelming. Restaurant week features 4 courses for $40 and when i was the menu i was excited. I started with the Caesar salad - which was heavily dressed with what tasted like just bottled dressing. Not horrible but nothing special. Second was mussels in white wine sauce - i was only given about 10 mussels and three of them were unopened. The flavor was blah and again nothing special. I order the parpadelle pasta with asparagus and shrimp - which was honestly horrible. The pasta was undercooked, the asparagus was most certainly from frozen, and the shrimp were over cooked. My date got the ribeye which was ok but came out with the sauce on top(asked for it on the side) and thank god they remedied that because the sauce was god awful. Desert was probably the best - the cheesecake and canoli cake were both food. The service was also subpar, they seemed incredibly understaffed and i could tell they just rushed food out with zero quality control. Shame because this could have become one of my regular spots but i have zero desire to return. Only upside is byob. There's better Italian restaurants in Philly. read more

So we came during restaurant week, we knew it would be busy. Zero problem waiting 30 after our reservation and the fact we had 1 out of 4 courses in the first hour: it's busy, it's fine! The issue was it was bland, we asked for parm over our pasta course and the waiter said "I'll see if I can find it".. I get it, there is chaos and what not but there are some things a restaurant can control. Customer service is one. Our cannoli cake was still frozen in the center. Underwhelming but perhaps an off night? Okay but also TIP 20% plus no matter what because servers can't help 90% of this okay??! read more

Came here for dinner with my wife while visiting Philadelphia for the first time this weekend. We had a reservation for 8:15pm but was seated around 8:30pm. Had the pleasure of listening to loud sloppy drunks complain about their social media and fashion while waiting. After we were seated, it seemed like they totally forgot about us. A server came by and read all the specials to a table of 4 next to us and left. He then came by without saying a thing and just said "Are you ready to order?" Thank goodness we had 15 minutes to review the menu before anyone came by our table otherwise we would have been there forever. We ordered 2 appetizers and 2 entrees. My entree came out entirely incorrect (I just ordered a standard chicken item, no special requests) and they quickly (within 1 minute) grabbed it from me and brought out the correct order in another 5 minutes. Overall the food was average, prices a little steep for our experience that night, and service was total trash. 2 stars (not one) because this place is BYOB and has a charming atmosphere (outside of the waiting area, of course). read more

Dinner here was absolutely delicious. Started off with the caesar salad which was good but had dressing that was a tad heavy on the anchovy. Had a bit of a fishy taste to it. For my entree I had the penne alla caruso. It was super creamy and the pasta was cooked to perfection. All my friends at the table who tasted it, loved it as much as I did. I only wish the portion was a little larger like most Italian restaurants in the city. I ended up eating a couple bites off a friend's tiramisu for dessert which was hands down the best part of the meal. I've never had such freshly made tiramisu. It was so soft and smooth that I dream about it now at home. Four stars because they seated us past our 7pm reservation time and then leered at us and stopped refilling our water glasses once it hit 9pm, their next seating time. Otherwise the service and menu prices were great. And it's BYOB! read more

La Viola - Penne alla caruso with parmesan on top - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I come here probably once a month... ha! I also have now started to order delivery via Postmates and it's just as amazing (and they even wrap up your bread and olive oil!) It's seriously one of my favorite penne vodkas in the city. OH -- and their caesar salad is also to die for... yes.. the salad is that good. read more

High quality food at reasonable prices, nice ambiance. I had to wait 15 minutes after my reservation time to get my table though, so that was frustrating. read more

Very cozy, byob, cash only Italian joint. Food here is good, service excellent! It's a small place, and very intimate atmosphere. Because of its coziness and authentic Italian food, this spot is very romantic. My favorite dishes are the lamb (they only have it sometimes as a special), and linguine frutti di mare. My husband has tried their lobster ravioli and tilapia special which he also likes. Their desserts are good, but not great. Love the service here! The servers are very attentive. The manager, hostess, and entire staff make you feel welcomed. read more

See all

Always a treat to eat at La Viola.the pasta is homemade and delicious. Specials are really special and it is a BYOB!

A fantastic experience. - super accommodating staff despite us having a bulky jogging stroller - water, bread, and other elements constantly paid attention to - my wife ordered the steak and despite being a foodie, she was very pleased - we both shared the grilled calamari. Perfect consistency: not too rubbery, not too soft - I had the ravioli with lobster. Ridiculous. Just delicious. Place is cash only and BYOB. Folks there seemed so happy to be dining. If you like Italian food, if you like a friendly and attentive staff, if you love Albanians who love making and serving Italian food to Americans, and if you want a happy palate, this is THE place to go. Thanks to the staff for being so accommodating. read more

I went to La Viola with a group of 8 and we had no issues getting a reservation on a Saturday night at 8pm. The atmosphere here is very welcoming but it should be noted the restaurant is fairly loud as it's a BYOB and what I like to call a "social Italian. For my group, the setting was perfect. My meal was fine - I had veal medallions and while the placenta was delicious but the sauce could have been a bit more flavorful. While nothing was wrong with my meal, I just felt a bit underwhelmed. Overall, I had a nice time here with friends and would be more than willing to come back for a larger group social night out. However, I do think for the food quality it's a bit over priced so wouldn't be in my first choice of restaurants for a smaller group. It should be noted that this place is cash only - so come prepared! read more

See all

Food is pretty mediocre here. Went for a friends bday party and ordered a shrimp/chicken type of thing and you can taste the shrimp must've been old or frozen...not fresh at all. Sweet spot for a date cause the decor is nice and they got an outside spot. Best part: byob. read more

La Viola - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Amazing restaurant. Our favorite to celebrate any occasion! Very accommodating, amazing staff and food! They always go above and beyond we have dined with them for atleast 5 group occasions! read more

This is a small Byo in rotten house. We came in with a large party of 12 for a birthday. We had to wait for thirty minutes to be seated for the reservations , which on a Saturday I understand can be difficult. The server came out and continuously was refilling on bread and water. He was informative about the menu and was pretty good. I ordered the Tilapia special which was good but portions are not very big. Everyone else enjoyed the good but again the portions were not big at all for the price you pay. The salad of mixed greens was just greens and dressing - would have skipped it if I knew. Not worth it personally in my opinion for 7 dollars. We all ordered dessert and coffee also. The main reason for the 2 stars is because my boyfriend had ordered dessert along with everyone else and he did not get it. When mentioned to the server that he did not get it and he just wanted t taken off the bill a man from the back brought it out anyway. The woman who was fixing the. I'll to take off the dessert was yelled at in front of us about taking off the dessert from the bill. He forced my boyfriend to not only be the last one to be stuck there eating the dessert but to pay for it too. I thought it was extremely rude. Also then we felt rushed out and the server asked us to leave. We spent a lot of money in there and they rudely asked us to leave. I would not go back here. read more

My cousins happiest night of her life took a drastic turn when la viola kicked us out. There was no time limit when the reservation was made. It was a celebratory engagement dinner. One of the staff came over and literally said "you're over staying your welcome" not a sir we have tables waiting if you could leave at your earliest connivence. There is a polite way to say it's time to leave and this is not it. It was not a loud crowd and our intimate celebration was ruined by the staff of la viola. read more

You can type paragraphs about how great your restaurant is but can't type the two words "cash only"?!?!! Ruined our night trying to figure out how to pay a simple bill. Will not return read more

La Viola was real hip about 10 years ago when I was a single gal and the idea of a BYOB on Rittenhouse with my girlfriends on a Saturday night before clubbing (oy) just sounded so darn fancy. We probably thought we were in an episode of "Sex And The City". Oh, to be young and naive. I have since matured and so has my palette. La Viola just doesn't cut it anymore. In fact, I'm a tad shocked it's still around. Sorry if that's harsh, it's just that there are some really cutting edge restaurants out there, even in the area nowadays and this kind of pales in comparison. The food is slightly better than average Italian, which if I'm carb-loading, it better be truly fantastic! It's classic Italian fare with a few minor twists here and there. The place is tiny and unless you're at a corner round by the front window or outside in nice weather, you're kinda, sorta sitting on everyone else. I have yet to dine at their location across the street, but opening that up was certainly a smart move, logistically. Wait service is good and the BYOB aspect is a plus. Other than that, ehh, I don't know. There are much better places. Much better Italian places. Much better BYOBs. Maybe because I've tried it several times and the trendy aspect of the place is gone? I say you certainly can find better. read more

The food here was good, the servers were amazing, the hostess approach was very appalling. We were at the establishment for approximately an hour and a half still finishing up with dessert when she asked not ONCE, not twice, but THREE times if we were done. This ruined our experience here, we felt uncomfortable and unwelcome, would rather pay for liquor than to be rushed out of this establishment. read more

Very good def will be back Nice service Food was awesome Nice atmosphere Very accommodating with my allergies read more

I used to be charmed by La Viola, but as Catherine L. points out, it is a "BYOB for beginners." Last month, I arrived early to a 7 p.m. reservation on a Saturday night. The reservation was in one of my girlfriend's names, but the hostess searched in vain to find it. Eventually, I was told "that's okay" and I was seated at a tiny four top by the window. I was happy that our placement by said window meant that we would only be sitting on top of each other, versus the other diners, but I hated feeling like I had gotten the second degree as though we didn't really have a reservation. When my friends arrived, servers bustled around us to open wine bottles and drop warm bread. For starters, we ordered mussels in the two different ways they were being offered, as well as an antipasto salad. I skipped the mussels and stuck with the salad, which was nicely sized and served over a tangy vinaigrette. By the time our mains came along, I'll admit I was pretty hopped up on wine. I had ordered a chicken and shrimp dish, which came with veggies and potatoes. Perhaps it was a bit gauche, but when one of the servers came over to offer fresh Parmesan, I accepted. "You want cheese... on your chicken?" the waiter smirked. I tried to reverse my decision, but the waiter gave me my cheese, as I sat there feeling admonished. I thought the food was good, but it certainly wasn't anything to rave about. There wasn't anything about the experience that made me feel like La Viola should come up in the rotation more frequently, if at all. The most redeeming part of the meal was the price. We got out of there for less than $25 per person, including tax and tip, although we skipped dessert. This is the place you send your college-aged cousin who wants a dinner in the city experience on a budget. read more